El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood
Restaurant · Nicoya ·

El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood

Restaurant · Nicoya ·

Grilled meats, seafood, pizza, wine, cocktails, beachside dining

friendly service
ribeye steak
great food
beef tenderloin
baked potato
whole grilled squid
mixed seafood platter
stuffed chicken
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null
El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood by null

Information

sobre la playa, 100m NO de la delegación policial de Sámara, Provincia de Guanacaste, Sámara, Costa Rica Get directions

₡20,000+

See Menu
Reservations required
Restroom
Popular for dinner
Cozy
Trendy

Information

Static Map

sobre la playa, 100m NO de la delegación policial de Sámara, Provincia de Guanacaste, Sámara, Costa Rica Get directions

+506 2656 0750
ellagartobbq.com
@ellagartomanuelantonio

₡20,000+ · Menu

Features

•Reservations required
•Restroom
•Popular for dinner
•Cozy
•Trendy
•Family friendly
•Good for groups
•Good for solo dining

Last updated

Jan 14, 2026

Powered By

You might also like

Terms of Use • Privacy Policy • Cookie Policy
 © 2026 Postcard Technologies, Inc.

Lucky

Google
We chose this restaurant because they offer grilled food and have a beautiful beachfront location. Unfortunately, the experience was very disappointing. We ordered one appetizer and two main courses, but the service was extremely slow. Our appetizer arrived after 45 minutes. When we asked about the delay, we were told they had to serve 26 other people as well—an unfortunate and unprofessional response to give a customer. The main courses arrived about 1.5 hours after we sat down. On top of the long wait, the food itself was very bland and lacked flavor. Considering the prices, the quality and service were not worth it. Sadly, despite the nice location, we would not recommend this restaurant.

Katie L.

Google
El Lagarto was recommended to us by our house manager, and it ended up being our favorite meal in Sámara. We both ordered the ribeye steak and it was cooked perfectly- tender, flavorful, and seasoned just right. The sides (potato, tomato and zucchini) were just as delicious as the steak, which is saying a lot! The service made the experience even better..Stephanie and Nadia were so sweet and friendly, making us feel completely at home. Highly recommend El Lagarto for anyone visiting Sámara. We can’t wait to come back!

Claudio K

Google
I had a very disappointing experience at El Lagarto, which is located on the beach in Sámara. The food had an unpleasant lighter fluid flavor, suggesting the wood used might have been impregnated with some fuel. The calamari and shrimp were undercooked and inedible, and the meat and vegetables had an off taste. Additionally, the napkins smelled like bathroom disinfectant, and the grilled pineapple dessert tasted chemical. This was one of the worst meals I’ve had in Costa Rica, and it was around $80 per person, totaling a bit under $160 for two, which is noticeably pricey for the area. The only redeeming factor was the kind and pleasant waiter named Steven. Unfortunately, this poor experience seems to be a common theme in other reviews.

DelAlViEcho

Google
Great food and fantastic, quick and friendly service from Stephanie. From the moment we entered from the beach Stephen engaged us in conversation, introduced himself and we felt welcome, Stephanie followed up with her great presence. My wife and I highly recommend.

Sage P.

Google
I had a really disappointing experience here. The prices were outrageously high, and the food did not live up to expectations. I came with a college group of 12, and unfortunately, we felt completely overcharged. For example, one student asked for cheese on her potato and was given a single slice—only to be charged $3 for it. I ordered a Pellegrino, which ended up costing over $7. The food itself was just as underwhelming. We started with a salad with chicken. It had no dressing, and the chicken was extremely dry—all for $18. I ordered the tuna special, but they never asked how I wanted it cooked, and it arrived completely well-done, with no pink center at all. My coworker’s meat dish was also dry and barely edible. One student ordered a mushroom entrée that took an hour and a half to arrive—only to come out completely burnt. He could barely eat it, said it was one of the worst meals he ever had. Despite the long wait and poor quality, nothing was comped. I attached a picture of my receipt for reference! To make matters worse, the service at checkout was just as frustrating. The waitress/manager with a septum piercing was incredibly rude, both to our group and to the waitress who served us. She made an unnecessary comment about one of my students being in a rush—when, in reality, he had been waiting at the counter for 10 minutes just to pay. While I was still standing there, she even started berating our waitress, Sadie, in front of customers, which was completely unprofessional. She clearly was having a bad night and everyone could tell. The only positive aspect of this experience was our server, Sadie, who was kind, accommodating, and truly did her best. She deserves a raise. Unfortunately, the overall experience was so poor that I cannot recommend this restaurant. Was the most expensive, and worst meal we had in Costa Rica!

Kimberly M.

Google
Food great, service great, drinks great, ambiance great. On the beach, but set back a bit, just all wood everywhere. Could use a little more something for the ambiance compared to other restaurants on the beach for a high end steak house. Everything grilled and gives all the food a great taste. The grilled veggies ( bakes potato& tomato) were fantastic. We shared beef tenderloin and stuffed chicken. Went off the beach in swimsuits with a shirt on and was fine. Don’t have to dress up.

Kamran

Google
The food is really good and the atmosphere? you're sitting by the beach. Looking at the beach listening to it. Eating great meat but at really inflated prices. We have to wait an hour to get our food but that was due to large groups ahead of us.

Sandra T.

Google
Loved the food at this place, ended up going twice for dinner. The atmosphere is really nice, and the food is really good. Ordered the whole grilled squid, mixed seafood platter and beef tenderloin